Motocross
Five must-see videos featuring female AMA Motocross Champion Ashley Fiolek.
1. In the Beginning If you’re a fan of Fiolek you know that she’s deaf, but you might not know the whole story of how she overcame that challenge to become one of the best motocross racers in the world. For example, did you know that doctors originally mistook her condition for being mentally challenged? If you like Fiolek or inspirational stories, this one is a must see.
2. Welcome to My World This is one cool commercial. Other than the fat #1 on the bike, no clues are given as to who the rider is, and unless you knew that blue number plates are used in women’s motocross racing, you wouldn’t have any idea that it was a girl on that bike ripping up Zaca Station in California. At the end comes a double twist. Not only is it revealed that this talented racer a girl, she’s also deaf!
3. Positive Absence It isn’t often that a video is cool for what it doesn’t contain, but this particular one fits into that narrow category. Like many other sports, motocross is full of scantily clad women, and nobody would have thought any different of Ashley had she gotten in on the action, especially in a photo shoot for Freegun Underwear. But she didn’t, and despite not taking it off, she still completely rocked this ad while keeping it classy.
4. Title Defense Released shortly before the beginning of the Fiolek’s successful championship defense in 2012, this video consists mostly of riding footage. That’s a good thing because watching Fiolek’s tiny frame absolutely man-handling and whipping her bike around a motocross track is always wildly entertaining.
5. Race Day Operations This video is superb because it’s authentic and raw. Despite the stress and pressure of race day, Fiolek was cool enough to let the Transworld Motocross cameras follow her around at the 2012 Thunder Valley National in Colorado. From the interviews with Ashley and members of her team, to her signing autographs to the closing shot of her laying in a hospital bed after a hard crash in the second moto resulted in a concussion, nothing is staged. If you want real life motocross, this is it.
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